Independent Research. Honest Analysis.

Beyond Numbers Analytics produces rigorous, independent fiscal policy research for Arizona and the nation. We believe that well-informed policymakers, journalists, and citizens make better decisions — and that clear, honest analysis is the foundation of good governance. Our work spans taxation, education policy and finance, public benefits programs, criminal justice, homelessness, environmental issues and state budget policy. We are nonpartisan and committed to the public interest above all.

At the heart of our research is a commitment to the people most affected by fiscal policy choices — working families living paycheck to paycheck, children whose futures depend on adequately funded schools and public services, and those at the margins of society who have the least capacity to absorb cuts and the fewest alternatives when government falls short. We believe that the most humane policies are also, more often than not, the most cost-effective ones: investments in early childhood, workforce development, and basic economic security pay dividends that outlast any budget cycle. A sustainable fiscal future and a more equitable Arizona are not competing goals — they are the same goal, pursued together.

If you have research that Beyond Numbers Analytics might do for you, please reach out to us.

Dave Wells founded Beyond Numbers Analytics with a commitment to producing rigorous, independent fiscal policy research that serves the public interest. With over two decades of experience analyzing state and local budget policy, Dave has become a trusted voice in Arizona and has also been cited multiple times for his expertise in national media and in other states.

Before founding Beyond Numbers Analytics, Dave was a community columnist for the Arizona Republic from 2004 until 2010, with a focus on local and state policy issues and humanitarian concerns. He co-founded the Grand Canyon Institute in 2011 and served as its research director until April 2026. He was the brains behind GCI authoring dozens of reports on taxation, education policy and finance, various public programs including expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and was the leading expert on unemployment insurance during the pandemic. He has also delved into questioning the economic returns from subsidizing professional sports teams. His work has been cited by legislators, journalists, and advocacy organizations. At one point in 2015 his critique of Gov. Ducey's prison expansion was cited by Mother Jones magazine and later in the year his projected revenue from a proposed marijuana tax on medical marijuana was fodder for a discussion on Fox News. More recently his analysis of Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) vouchers has gotten coverage across many states debating that issue as well as the New York Times and even across the Atlantic by the BBC.

Dave holds a doctorate in Political Economy and Public Policy. He was a faculty member at Arizona State University for 25 years, retiring at the end of 2023. He can be reached at DWells@BeyondNumbersAnalytics.com.